Hopple.



No. 735,865. MEME@ AUG. n, 1903] J. Hmmm/mim.

HOWLB.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 20. 1902.

2?() HUBER 4Q. BY ATTQRXEK f5. wwln i u w A UNrrnn @raras Patentes' August 11, moe.-

nfraisrr erica.

HOPPLE.

SPECIFCATION forming part of Letters Patent No. "735,866, dated August 11, 1903.

Application filed November 20, i902. Serial No. 132,182. (No model.)

T0 all whom t T11/ay cm1/cervi.-

Beit known that I, JAMES FENSTERMAKER, a citizen of the United States, residing atSt. Paul, in the county' of Ramsey and State of Minnesota, have invented certain newV and useful Improvements in Hopples; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the inventioxnsuch as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the saine, ref erence being had to the accompanyingdrawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which forni a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in hopples, especially the class used on trotting and pacing horses, but may also be applied to other classes of hopples.

The objects of the invention are, first, to provide a heppie with means whichwill pre vent or minimize chafing on the legs of the horse; second, to make the'improved means for said purpose applicable as an attachment to new and old hopples and easily exchangeable on and transferable to any heppie of the same class; third, to-eheapen the manufacture of the leg-rings of hopples. These objects I attain by the novel construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhichn Figure lis a perspective side view of a coinmon trotting and/pacing hopple with my iinprovement applied to the two back rings marked B. Fig. 2 is an enlarged top View of one of the rings B. Fig. 3 is a portion of Fig. 2 modified. Fig. 4 is a side view' of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross-section of' the leather strap from which I make the attachment. Fig. 6 is an enlarged cross-section`on the line a a in Fig. 2. Fig. 7 is a modification of Fig. G.

Referring to the drawings by letters of rei"- erence, A represents the front, and B the hind or back, leg-rings of the hopple. All of those i rings may be provided with my improvement,

which may be termed a ring lining or 1ooplining; but i have illustrated the same only on the back rings, as that will explain the invention.

C C and D are the well-known body-straps and supports of the hopple,'which need not be here described. v

In common hopples the leg-rings A and B are made of the same width and hard leather as the .straps D, and even if slightly wider and softer they are still so hard, narrow, and

rough or sharp-edged that they chai'e the horse seriously, especially when the ring during the trotting of the horse is thrown with its upper or lower edge against the leg of the horse. It is to overcome these defects in hops ple-rings that I provide an internal lining E, of the best loop leather, which is susceptible of a very fine polish of its hair side, which I turn toward the horses leg. Besides the smoothness of surface thus provided I also forro the lining in to the peculiar shape shown in Fig. 6 and indicated already in the blank iu Fig. 5-narnely, that the middle portion of the cross-section of the lining bulges away from the ring, as at F in Fig. 6, forming a spring and air cushion where the rings n'nostiyy corne in contact with the horses legs-and if s'sy the upper or loweredges ofthe ring be thrown f against the leg vihr-.ithi'n flexible curved edges G, with airspaces I-I between them and the ring B, serve to likewise reduce greatly the @hating effect of the blew or contact ot' thev .ring with the horse. o. v

The lining E is eut from the leather, softened, pressed, or formed into shape, dried and polished, and'then attains such a springlike character that it needs sinn ply to be forced `upon the ring from the inner side of it and it will grasp firmly over the edges of the ring and stay in place by itself. Still I fasten the .ends of the lining to the ring of hopples a1- ready rnade with rivet, like K in Fig. 4, or, better yet, with a few stitches J; but if 'the lining is made at the sanne time the hopple is made the ends of the lining may preferably be sewed into the ends of the straps D, as shown at L in Fig. 1i. In either case the lining may be removed for repair or exchange by simply cutting the few stitches holding its ends. It the lining should be made ofvery thin leather or be so unduly exposed to sweat or rain as to become loose on the ring, it may be held in place by a few stitches or a lacing from edge to edge of it, as indicated by the lines M in Fig. 4.

Besides the advantages already indicated it will be observed that by the use of my ringlinng the ring itself may be verycheaply and roo roy' eorering or lining, rrnieli is ln/rider, eniooilier, sind more flexible time. the ring eonid be mede, even et e, oost ler exceeding the cost of the linin'. lt will also be enderstood that even if my lining is runde in tbe modiied. form of its bod5T or edges (shown in Fig. 7) and secured to the heppie in any oonrenient manner it still has the greet adventege of reducing friction on the horse by be ing of greater vertical width than the ring sind by haring yielding edges.

Having thus described my invention7 what l Gleim, and desire to secure by Letters ent, is

l. ln a' llopple, the. combination with the leg rings or loops of the heppie, oli' en ezisily- :removable smooth lining placed inside the ring and having curved edges clasping over the upper and lower edges of the ring to keep the lining in place.

2. In a. hopple, the combination with the leg rings or loops of the hopple, of an easilyremoveble smooth lining pleeed inside the ring and having curved edges elasping over the upper and lower edges of the ring to keep the lining in plane, the ends of the lining being secured to the' ring, substantially :is desoribed The combination with e leg ring; or loop, of n heppie, of e smooth flexible lining et the inner eide oi the ring` the seme having its edges Curved outwardly and elesping over ille edges of the ring with the intervening speen H between the edges ol' the ring sind.

tile elesping edges ol the lining` substantially ne end for tine purpose set forth.

il. y".llie eornbinntion rritli e. ring or lool of n heppie, oli e smooth llexible lining inside 'tile ring' end bearing its edges elzisping outwardly over the edges of tbe ring and its middle por tion bnlged inwardly l'roin the ring. 4

5. The combination willi e. ring or loop oi' a liopple, of e smooth flexible lining inside the ring.; end hei/ing its edges elnsping outwardly over the edges of the ring ind its middle portion bulged inwardly from the ring, end its elesping edges bnlged survey from the edges oi' the ring, substantially es and for the purpose set forth.

G., As en nrtieleof menu lecture, sin internal lining for loops or rings of liopples, the seine being: mede of leather and having the edges Gf of the leather reduced. in thickness :ind pressed and dried into flexible clasps adapted o clasp over the edges of the ring of the hopple.

7. Sleen artieleoi manufacture, en internal lining for loops or rings of liopples, the seme being mede of leather and having the edgee G ot' the leather redneed in thickness end pressed and dried in to flexible clesps edepted to ela-sp over the edges or the ringoli' the hopple and its mein portion of the leather formed with an inward bulge sind highly polished.

ln testimony whereof l. ellis. my signature in presence of tiro witnesses.

N itnesses:

Ennio G. TEGELL, Jon. Esmee". 

